Does turning off radiators save gas?

Cardew

Rogerb wrote:

Avoiding dampness is another reason I wouldn't do it.

I wouldn't turn mine off completely as I would worry the rooms might get damp.

I think care needs to be exercised when heating unused rooms to get rid of damp.

Warm and damp might feel better than cold and damp, but heating a room doesn’t necessarily get rid of the damp. If it is damp, heating the room will often cause the problems of fungus growth etc. Ventilation is important.

If you do have a problem you would be far better to remove the moisture with a dehumidifier.

crashgoddess

some good information here thanks

Ca1vados

beckyw wrote:

I turned a radiator off in an unused room and now I can't get it back on whatever we try. I'd leave them on very low!

Buy a radiator key, there will be a small bleed tap at the top of the rad at one end. Turn the radiator back on - bottom valve usually, bleed off the air and it SHOULD start warming up again.

Ca1vados

DARYALS wrote:

Hi,

Can someone please answer this question for me. I have several unused rooms within my house, would turning the radiators off in these rooms save on my heating bill and gas usage?

Regards

A

If you MUST turn some off, be sure to cover them with an old blanket to avoid them freezing. Alternate rooms you turn off to keep them aired.

If you go away for longer than a day, ensure you leave the heating to come on at least twice a day. not like a house I once went to, where the lady turned the heating off in mid winter, as she walked out of the door for a two week skiing holiday, oh dear, what a mess.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

I turned a radiator off in an unused room and now I can't get it back on whatever we try. I'd leave them on very low!

If it doesn't need bleeding the pin inside the valve might be stuck. If you're handy you can remove the valve, check that the pin is working freely and give everything a good spray of WD40.
Modern houses won't get damp if a radiator is turned off in a room or rooms and older houses will have enough drafts blowing around to keep the air circulating nicely.

peawack

If you fit thermosatic valves all round make sure you leave one rad with a regular (open )valve, in case of a fault condition where the boiler pump is working against a closed system. Then you will be paying extra!

Cardew

peawack wrote:

If you fit thermosatic valves all round make sure you leave one rad with a regular (open )valve, in case of a fault condition where the boiler pump is working against a closed system. Then you will be paying extra!

It surely doesn't matter if they are thermostatic valve or regular valves, in that they could all be turned off. It would be bad practice to depend on the user to make sure a valve was left open.

I thought all CH sytems have a bypass system to prevent the situation you describe; on older systems this could be a radiator with no valve at all.

Plumbers please comment?